BLACKSBURG, VA—To win in Blacksburg Marshall was going to need a big day from its defense.
And it got one.
Time after time when Marshall needed a stop on third down or a big play to get the offense the football The Herd got the job done but it finally ran out of steam in the triple-overtime loss to Virginia Tech.
The defense gave Marshall plenty of opportunities. Logan Thomas was picked off twice in the first half and The Herd stuffed Virginia Tech on two fourth down conversion attempts in the second half. The Hokies were just 2-of-14 on third down. After they converted their first two third down attempts of the game, Tech finished 0-for-12.
“I thought for the most part we stopped the run. We were able to force two turnovers in the first half. We put some pressure on their big quarterback and were able to force him to make some bad throws,” said coach Doc Holliday.
“They had a good scheme,” praised Hokies’ coach Frank Beamer. “They can flat out play. Defensively they’re really tough.”
In the end it wasn’t enough as Virginia Tech kept getting chances and finally made it pay off in the third overtime.